Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight

(Quinn's POV) Pulling the blanket over my naked torso, I glance through the bars of the cage at the clock on the wall. Fuck. I should have known it was going to be a bad day. It usually is, and now I am late for class again! I have labs this morning with Ms Meera, the queen bitch of all my tutors here at Oak Park University. She doesn't like me, and now she is going to kill me. If by some sheer stroke of luck I make it through the lesson, I will probably end up wishing that she had. Today is the last mock practical assessment before my final exam. I am nowhere near ready because I have been partying all week instead of studying. Last night was a full moon, so technically that one isn’t my fault. I rarely hit the clubs so hard, but we are going home at the end of the term, and I am doing everything in my power to get everything out of my system. When we get home, I need to be the women that the pack needs. Which is anyone but the real me. I groan and turn to grab my clothes from th

(Quinn's POV) Goosebumps rise on my skin the second I step out of the dorm. Shivering against the freezing cold, I curse Emmerson for making me wear this skimpy dress. So much for it almost being summer, I think miserably as we walk across the street. England, never hot and I'm always pale. I long for a place with some colour to it. Somewhere tropical, where life would be so much better.Living in the UK is like living in a world of washed-out colours. The sun seems to only offer its light in watery patches. The streets are lined with dingy brick buildings, dull grey skies sit heavy above them, as if they have been waiting for a lifetime of rain. Even the grass and shrubs appear drained of colour, no more than an afterthought painted in dirty watercolours. A feeling of sadness settles over me whenever I pass through these areas. It seems to be a permanent reminder of my own lack of freedom.But when I approached the edge of the city, something changes. Instead of being surrounded by

(Salvatore's POV)As soon as dusk becomes darkness, the city comes alive with a pulse of its own. The busy streets of London are buzzing with excitement. My senses come to life as I pick up on the supernatural world that coexists in secret alongside the humans. Despite the noise, I can hear everything around me. Each heartbeat is a symphony playing just for me. It's my siren’s song calling to the monster within, beckoning it to let loose and feed. I stay hidden in the shadows and observe the scene around me. There are so many people out tonight. I can smell their desperation. Their only desire is to escape their mundane lives for one night. The darkness is a cloak, hiding me from the prying eyes of the more curious humans. The beast inside me is hungry. No matter how hard I try to ignore him, I know I can’t suppress his desires for much longer. My nostrils flare as an intoxicating scent catches my attention. The smell just makes the beast more excited. I give in to the primal urge

(Quinn's POV)  I frantically pull my phone out of my pocket and start scrolling the internet for information about the eclipse. There is nothing popping up in the search, and social media is unusually silent. It’s totally bizarre. Amongst the eerie silence, I come across a website about the moon's cycles that has a list of dates for the next eclipse around the world. As I scroll down the page, I discover that an eclipse isn’t supposed to happen in the United Kingdom for another seventy years. How can this be possible? The students have formed two groups. One is standing staring at the eclipse in awe. The others are running around like crazy people, ranting about how this is a sign of the end of days. I’m not sure which category me and my friends fit into because we know that something is seriously wrong, but we can’t stop staring. Whatever is happening is beyond st

 (Salvatore's POV)   The perpetual twilight continues to cast an eerie glow over the city. Over the last three days, it has smothered the city with its dark abyss. Its otherworldly light creates an uneasy atmosphere that clings to everything it touches. I’m no stranger to darkness, but this is different. It feels unnatural, and that’s unsettling. I should be glad of the freedom that it has brought to my life, but I can’t help but be wary of its presence. With every step I take, my boots echo ominously through the empty streets. Anxiety coils within me like a snake around its prey, tightening its grip as I approach the usual meeting place of my brothers. The dimly lit warehouse is the only light on the dock. All other businesses here have closed down while they wait for answers. Omino